God of the gaps

From RationalWiki
(Difference between revisions)
Jump to: navigation, search
(Filling gaps)
(Filling gaps: What does that even mean?)
Line 9: Line 9:
 
In the course of [[history]] many gaps have been filled, and each advance in scientific knowledge reduced the area where God was thought necessary.  For example discoveries by [[Galileo Galilei|Galileo]] and [[Isaac Newton| Newton]] stopped people assuming [[angel]]s pushed planets through the sky.  More recently discovery by astronomers of organic [[molecule]]s in space showed that divine creation of these molecules is not needed. <ref name= Lindsay/>
 
In the course of [[history]] many gaps have been filled, and each advance in scientific knowledge reduced the area where God was thought necessary.  For example discoveries by [[Galileo Galilei|Galileo]] and [[Isaac Newton| Newton]] stopped people assuming [[angel]]s pushed planets through the sky.  More recently discovery by astronomers of organic [[molecule]]s in space showed that divine creation of these molecules is not needed. <ref name= Lindsay/>
  
When each gap is filled, the believer just jumps to the next gap and the game can continue ''ad nauseam'' until human knowledge is able to explain ''everything''. The argument is an instance of the [[logical fallacy]] of [[argument from ignorance]]. Nor is it a very [[Theology|theologically]] sound [[argument]], as it has the effect of reducing and diminishing one's god over time.
+
When each gap is filled, the believer just jumps to the next gap and the game can continue ''ad nauseam'' until human knowledge is able to explain ''everything''. The argument is an instance of the [[logical fallacy]] of [[argument from ignorance]].
  
 
==Life and evolution==
 
==Life and evolution==

Revision as of 14:21, 29 December 2012

Goddidit!

Creationism

Icon creationism.svg
Key claims
Science
Random articles

Truth fish transparent.png

"God of the gaps" is used to describe the tendency of believers to appeal to God as the cause for phenomena which human knowledge has not yet explained. Believers typically assume further that the (God (or Gods) of their particular religion, denomination or sect must be the true cause of what is unexplained.

The argument takes the following form. We don't know how x happens, therefore Goddidit. This is a Non sequitur since natural explanations that we do not know are possible.[1]

Contents

Filling gaps

In the course of history many gaps have been filled, and each advance in scientific knowledge reduced the area where God was thought necessary. For example discoveries by Galileo and Newton stopped people assuming angels pushed planets through the sky. More recently discovery by astronomers of organic molecules in space showed that divine creation of these molecules is not needed. [1]

When each gap is filled, the believer just jumps to the next gap and the game can continue ad nauseam until human knowledge is able to explain everything. The argument is an instance of the logical fallacy of argument from ignorance.

Life and evolution

One of the more prominent examples of current "God of the Gaps" thinking is the Intelligent Design movement, which claims that some aspects of how life formed are impossible to explain — not only with today's scientific knowledge, but ever.

Another well-worn God-gap is that of Abiogenesis. Again, as there is no generally accepted explanation for the appearance of life on the planet, the position that Goddidit is taken as default by creationists. There is probably an element of False dilemma in both the preceding arguments.

Philosophy

The God of the Gaps argument finds what is perhaps its most popular manifestation in ideas about first cause. The argument essentially suggests that, as there is no commonly accepted theory to completely explain the original origin of the universe, then God or Gods must exist.

Amusingly, Gödel's incompleteness theorems prove that God will always have a little gap left to hide in, no matter how much humanity learns.

See also

Footnotes

Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Community
Tools
In other languages
support